Eclipse will create a moon shadow visible over B.C. this week

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - B.C. is one of the few North American regions which will get a glimpse of the penumbral lunar eclipse this week, as long as the clouds clear Wednesday morning.

The penumbral lunar eclipse, when the moon passes through Earth’s partial shadow creating a darkened moon, will be visible along the west coast early Wednesday morning, March 23.

According to NASA, the actual eclipse will take place at 4:48 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, but will be very subtle. It is possible you may not even notice the shadow on the moon, even though the full duration of the eclipse will be visible from B.C.

Unlike other lunar eclipses, which always occur during a full moon, penumbral eclipses only create a dark shadow over the moon. Partial lunar eclipses create the look of a partial moon while during a full lunar eclipse the moon is completely blocked by the Earth’s shadow.

Environment Canada is currently calling for cloudy skies Tuesday night through Wednesday, which could make it even more difficult to spot the shadows over the moon.

The second lunar eclipse of the year will take place Sept. 16 and will also be a penumbral eclipse, though it will take place just before noon and not be visible from North America.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

OPINION At least part of me wasn’t sure I should write this, given what happened last time. It was August 15, 2003 and like many Thursdays before it, I was scratching around for a column idea. The summer newsroom